The Value of Early Intervention With Literacy Development

The successful development of literacy skills is crucial, and early intervention (EI) is valuable since it can support this process by promoting the preemptive identification of children that are at risk of becoming struggling readers and addressing their problems without isolating them from peers. In early childhood education, EI may find reflection in preschool music programs that promote phonological and reading-related skills through exposure to sound, which allows for fostering critical abilities, such as speech recognition and short-term memory, and making preliminary conclusions about learners’ potential future challenges with writing and reading. Since positive attitudes to instruction are crucial, other common uses of EI, for instance, peer-assisted learning, possess a unique value because they encourage struggling students to observe high-performing classmates’ approaches to decoding the meaning of written texts but do not make them feel excluded or different from peers.

Therefore, EI related to literacy development facilitates timely identification of literacy challenges without educational stratification. Sharing unpleasant news regarding students’ literacy development with parents can be challenging and requires the demonstration of compassion by giving encouraging advice. For instance, from my practice, the teacher can identify the need for extra support by spotting the child’s insufficient ability to read and pronounce their own and others’ names correctly. However, professional expertise is required to distinguish between issues peculiar to language use and anxiety-related challenges, such as selective mutism. To show compassion when communicating such findings to families, I would conduct a private conversation with parents and describe the problem without overstating the case. Instead of sharing disappointing projections, I would give them some encouragement by expanding on the opportunities to provide additional support in the classroom and at home.